A new body tasked with driving forward the red meat sector in Wales should be up and running by the autumn as the MLC presses on with its radical restructuring exercise. The body, comprising representatives from the MLC, the Welsh Development Agency and Welsh Lamb and Beef Promotions, will have double the cash to devote to red meat as the MLC and WDA both provide a substantial boost in funding. As well as co-ordinating promotional strategies and working on new product development in lamb, beef and pork, the new body will identify ways to make the meat supply chain more efficient and develop export markets. MLC Wales general manager Gwyn Howells said discussions about the most appropriate name and structure for the new body are still in progress, "but the desire to get this up and running as soon as possible is there." The rationale behind the devolved body is simple, said Howells: "All the money goes into one pot and the key sector organisations in the sector will be moving in the same direction. It avoids duplication and gives us more focus." {{NEWS }}